


on the wing

by JuniperTrees



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Airport AU, Drabble Series, Fluff, M/M, non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-07 17:11:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14085678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuniperTrees/pseuds/JuniperTrees
Summary: a series of come and goes, meet and greets, beginning and endings that happen between the gates of the airport and the closing doors while boarding an airplane. prompts are not mine.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> prompts are all taken from tumblr! please bear with me
> 
> prompt: bonding solely via eye contact over that annoying person on our plane that we’re both slowly becoming more and more exasperated about au

Newt is sitting a seat away from cute stranger, both of them sandwiching a sleeping middle-aged woman who snores like a broken engine. It didn’t bother him at first, but after 3 hours of nonstop noise and no peace and quiet, it’s starting to grate on his nerves. He sends a silent prayer and asks whatever God there is what he did to deserve this kind of curse.

At one point, it seems like she’s about the wake up and she quiets for a few seconds but she starts right up again. Newt has to suppress an audible groan and decides to pinch his nose instead. He opens his eyes when he hears an almost imperceptible chuckle next to him and glances at his other seatmate. 

He wasn’t looking very carefully before, but he is now. Bloody hell, he thinks, they’ve got the nicest eyes and hair he’s ever seen.

His seatmate glances briefly at the sleeping women before looking back at Newt and quirking an eyebrow. Newt’s mouth twitches in something like a smile and cute airplane passenger smirks. They look away and shift slightly and Newt has to force his eye contact away so he doesn’t come off as a creep.

A few minutes later, sleeping lady starts to shift and suddenly her head is coming dangerously close to Newt’s shoulder. He stiffens when she snores and exhales a few inches away from his face and tries to push himself back in his seat, but she’s advancing with him and Newt kind of squeaks in some sort of last resort action.

Cute passenger makes eye contact with him again and smiles. Newt widens his eyes and mouths  _ help.  _ Then, thank God, cute passenger gently ropes his very muscular arm (Newt can’t help but notice) around the woman’s other arm and tugs her slowly, carefully so she’s upright again.

Newt smiles at him, almost shy, before looking away quickly. He wants cute passenger’s name, and number, and possibly a lot more, but he can’t exactly lean over and ask right now because it would be very awkward. Instead, he hopes that something will happen and flits his eyes towards them again.

The flight is ending in thirty minutes, and now Newt is really starting to get desperate. The woman is still sleeping and they’ve made eye contact, laughed quietly and smiled about her snoring that never ceases but they still haven’t exchanged any words and Newt really wants to at least get the opportunity to talk to them before the plane lands and they part ways. As if by some miracle, the lady suddenly snores herself awake and looks around bewildered. Cute passenger looks at him and Newt mocks a surprised look, cute passenger clasps his hands together in a praying gesture and Newt has to hold back a snort. And finally, finally the lady excuses herself and pushes her way past to go to the bathroom and Newt has much more leeway to talk to his other seatmate now.

There is an awkward silence and he starts to second guess himself, starts fidgeting with his fingers, then there’s a sudden movement as cute passenger gets up and moves over so he’s  _ sitting right next to Newt.  _ Newt catches his breath and smiles so, so goofily as they sit down next to him and mirror his smile.

“Hey.” They say, smooth and beautiful and Newt needs to stop grinning before his face splits in half.

“Hi. Wild ride, huh?” He asks, attempting conversation.

Cute passenger, Newt really needs to ask for his name now, laughs and it sounds even better up close. “I never want to take a plane anywhere again.” He stops talking and stills, almost a little bashful. “I’m Minho, you are?”

Newt’s heart swells and he knows his face is flushing a bright red but he can’t help it, he’s been waiting an entire plane flight for this conversation. “I’m Newt. I guess you’ll just have to hope for better company next time you get a plane flight.” 

Minho, (oh god his name is Minho), tips his head. “Yeah, although, I’m sure being seated with someone like you won’t be bad either.”

Newt flushes even darker and he opens his mouth to say something but the lady is back from her bathroom break and she blinks at the new seating arrangement. Newt opens his mouth to say something, anything to ensure that Minho stays seated right where he is, but she doesn’t even flinch, just sits down where Minho was, closes her eyes and goes back to sleep.

Minho looks back at Newt and they stare at each other before they’re both laughing. “Oh god,” Minho says in a harsh whisper, “she’s gonna start snoring again.” 

Newt giggles,  _ giggles,  _ he really needs to get himself together. “And now she’s going to fall asleep on  _ you _ .”

They’re both laughing about something so stupid but Newt has never felt this happy with a stranger he met a few minutes ago. Minho grins, lopsided and genuine, and Newt feels something shift in his chest. “It’ll be okay.” Minho says. “I’ve got you for company.”

Newt beams at him, and it’s funny, because now the snoring seems more like a blessing than a curse.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not beta-ed!
> 
> prompt: you fell asleep and i started making funny faces at your kid to keep them amused and the steward mistook us for a couple au

The lights in the airplane are dim, lowered in brightness because they’re a few hours into the eight-hour flight, and Minho rubs his eyes to blink away the spots dotting his vision. 

He’s across the aisle from a kid, can’t be more than 8 years old, who is tapping at the small screen, trying to get it to work. The seat next to him, Minho can only infer it’s his dad, is occupied by a tall blond who is fast asleep, head lolled to the side as his chest slowly rises and falls.

Minho has seen every single movie the plane is offering and he’s bent on finding something to entertain him, problem is, he can’t find anything.

The kid notices him looking at him and he swivels his head around before furrowing his brow and sticking his tongue out. Minho almost laughs but catches himself. He glances around, makes sure no one is watching, then turns back to kid who is staring intently at him as if waiting for an answer. 

Fast as he can, he flits his tongue out and returns the gesture.

The kid blinks in surprise, before his eyes light up and he gives Minho a wolfish grin. They cross their eyes and look at Minho expectantly.

Minho doesn’t really have anything better to do, he tells himself, he’s totally not doing this because he likes the kid and is actually enjoying making funny faces at them. Minho does him one better and crosses his eyes and brings his hands up to tug his ears out.

The kid shrieks with laughter and his father shifts next to him. Other passengers twist their heads to see the commotion in the quiet buzz of the plane and Minho brings his finger to his lips, shushing the kid gently, and they seem to understand, clapping a hand over their mouth and nodding with wide eyes.

They look nervous, as if they’ve been scolded, before the kid bears his teeth and pulls his eyes up by the corners.

Minho doesn’t know if he should be offended, but he laughs anyway. Not loud, but hard enough that his shoulders shake and he’s leaning over the arm of his seat. A nearby stewardess catches them and they both smile at her, Minho more embarrassed, the kid showing all his teeth like a prize. She smiles back at them.

This continues for a good portion of the flight, right up until the boy’s father wakes up. He stretches and his son turns towards him, gleeful and excited.

Minho uses this opportunity to turn away, he doesn’t want the father thinking he’s weird, acting like a toddler, but the kid doesn’t mention him, probably because he doesn’t know Minho’s name. Instead, he just starts talking furiously.

“Newt, Newt.” They say.

Minho side-glances at the father, Newt, their lips upturning, eyes half-lidded in a tired smile. 

The kid keeps talking, babbling too fast for Minho to keep up, and soon he just turns his head and turns on his screen to see if there’s anything he can watch.

The lights turn on for lunch, or dinner, Minho can’t really remember. The same stewardess comes down the aisle and turns to Minho. “Is there anything you’d like to drink?” Minho is acutely aware that the kid is watching him. 

“Coffee.” He answers before winking at the kid who dimples in answer.

The stewardess turns to the other aisle and asks the kid: “what would you like to drink?”

They sit up straight before looking directly at Minho, blurting out: “Coffee!”

Minho has to hold back a grin, looking up when the stewardess turns to him again. “Is he allowed to drink coffee?”

Minho blinks once, twice, before he realizes that she’s asking him, and he doesn’t really know, it’s not his child. “Uh, I-” he catches the father’s eye, “I don’t-” he splutters awkwardly before the father, Newt, interrupts him.

“No, he can’t.” The stewardess whips her head around, slightly surprised before he features smooth out again. Newt’s voice turns stern. “ _Thomas _. You know you’re not allowed caffeine.” He hisses.

The stewardess gives them both a forgiving smile before she’s pulling the cart to move along, but not before she adds something else. “You two have an adorable son.” She says, and Minho is freezing, eyes going wide as he realizes the implications of her statement. 

He gives the father an apologetic glance. “Uh, he’s not my-” He starts, but she’s already moved on, asking the next person what they’d like. He turns to Newt. “Sorry about that.”

They barely have time to open their mouth before Thomas is piping up, twisting himself excitedly to say something to Newt. “I had a funny-face battle with him!” He chirps, pointing a finger at a mortified Minho. 

A few strangers in their vicinity look over at the commotion and Minho smiles sheepishly. “Hi.” He waves, not sure what else to say.

Newt is looking at him, and Minho is struck with how young he looks, not nearly old enough to be a father. “I’m sorry about Tommy,” Newt apologizes, reaching over to curl Thomas’ finger back into a fist. “He’s very excitable,” His accent is distinctly British, and Minho finds himself stumbling over an apology.

“No, no. It’s fine.” He says, there’s an awkward silence while he scratches his neck. “I’m uh, I’m Minho.” He offers and Newt visibly relaxes.

“I’m Newt, thanks for entertaining Tommy.” There’s another silence as the two smile at each other, not really sure what to say. The idea that they’ve been mistaken for a couple makes the both of them too embarrassed to break the silence.

Thomas looks back and forth between the two before he turns to Minho, a determined look on his freckled face. 

He points at Newt, narrowly missing his fine features before exclaiming: “My uncle Newt thinks you’re cute!”

Minho blinks, surprised before looking at a flushing Newt who is bringing his hand up to cover his face. So it’s not his kid. Thomas is Newt’s nephew. Minho tries to hold back a smile, the relief swelling in his chest as he realizes.  “ _Thomas._ ” Newt seethes, not bothering to make eye contact.

Thomas straightens indignantly, leaning forward so he’s closer to Minho. “He does! He told me. He thinks you look like a nice guy.”

Minho is laughing at the way Newt moans into his hands. “Yeah?” Thomas nods furiously. “Well, tell him I think he’s cute too.” Newt makes eye contact with him at this, turning an even darker shade of red when Minho winks.

Thomas, almost triumphantly, whips his head around and all but shouts. “Minho thinks you’re cute too!” He’s grinning from ear to ear as Newt giggles, (that’s adorable, Minho thinks), still trying to hide behind his hands.

“Tommy,” he says between giggles, “you need to be quiet.” but there’s no real anger behind his words.

Minho adjusts his arm on the arm seat before nodding at Newt. “You want to get coffee with me sometime?”

Newt is laughing, smiling and Minho doesn’t think he’s seen anything better in the world. “Yes, yes, okay.” He says, flashing his teeth.

They get off the plane flight like that. Thomas between the two of them, beaming as Minho and Newt laugh about something stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeaaaaahahhhhhhhh boiiiiiiii two chapters chugged out in two days i'm never gonna keep this streak up

**Author's Note:**

> not beta-ed, so please tell me if there are any mistakes!!


End file.
